Is it legal in the US to mount a stock on a Broomhandle Mauser? On one hand, it turns it into a Class 3 ‘short barreled rifle’. On the other hand, it might be in the ‘curio and relic’ category and be exempt.
(I had a 1942 Luger that could accept a stock, but I was told it would be illegal to put one on.)
I thought all semiautomatic handguns with an outside the butt magazine like the Broomhandle Mauser were now banned; unless that was part of the now expired Assault Weapons ban.
Your best bet would be to write- not call, and not E-mail, but send an actual letter- the BATF and ask them.
FWIW, in Australia I believe it’s legal to mount a detachable stock on a Mauser Broomhandle, Luger, or Browning Hi-Power, provided the overall length of the firearm remained under 75cm.
Have you found a nice Mauser C96? I’ve been looking for one for years, but they’re horribly expensive here and 7.63mm Mauser ammo is nigh-impossible to obtain.
FYI, our good friends at the ATF have a website. Simply typing “Mauser” and “shoulder” in the search box gave me the linked page. Curios or Relic -
Doesn’t look like you can get away with an aftermarket stock, but an original is copacetic. Local laws may vary, of course.
ETA - ATF Page is titled “Weapons Removed From The NFA As Collector’s Items And Classified As Curios Or Relics Under The GCA”
No, but I’d like to get one eventually. A refinished, stock-capable ‘shooter’ (as opposed to a ‘collector’) P.08 like the one I used to have is higher on the list.
Edit: Not that I particularly want a shoulder stock. Just curious, is all.
I gotta ask- What’s a broomhandle shoot like?
If you want a shooter, then look for a “Red 9” Broomhandle- so called because they have a large, red 9 engraved on the handle. They’re chambered for 9mm Parabellum, and the Red 9 is there to inform the firer of this, so they don’t load the gun with 7.63mm Mauser ammo.
They’re also very hard to find- I’ve never seen one in person, so I imagine they’re horribly expensive as well.
On a related note, I’ve often wondered why no-one makes a modern reproduction of the Mauser C96, ideally in 9mm Parabellum- the Mauser C96 is a hugely popular gun and you’d think there would be a reasonably significant market for it.
Well, they did, sort of. Some were manufactured in China and Afganistand, either under license or just plain copied.
You can find these also in .45 auto.
If I was going to get a Mauser to shoot, I’d get one of these copies/licensed. Some decade or so ago, you could get one in nice shooting condition for like $200.
I’m told the Chinese “Box Cannon” copies were, well, not all that great.
As for the Afghani-made guns:
Khyber Pass Copy. They’re not safe to fire. Often made out of railway tracks, scrapped cars, and whatever else can be salvaged, they are- at best- wallhangers or conversation pieces.
To reiterate: DO NOT FIRE KHYBER PASS MANUFACTURED FIREARMS!